Tasmanians are being urged to keep an eye out for a new “lost phone” scam.
Locals are being contacted by people pretending to be family members and asking for money.
Scammers are sending messages via social media sites such as WhatsApp, sending messages that they have lost, broken or had their phone stolen and urgently require funds to be transferred into their account.
Victims will then transfer funds to a bank account to help their family member only to find out that it was not their family contacting them.
In these situations, it is likely that one or both family members have had their social media accounts hacked.
Tasmania Police are asking us to:
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Never provide your identity over the phone without first confirming who you are speaking with via legitimate source.
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Never send money, digital currency, or gift cards to someone you do not know without first confirming they are legitimate via an independent source.
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Ensure you have set adequate security settings on your social media and email accounts.
Detective Sergeant Paul Turner believes the new scam is a timely reminder all Tasmanians to be wary for scams when online.
“Since last month, at least 10 Tasmanians have reported to police that they’ve been scammed with losses of over $50,000,” Detective Sergeant Turner said.
Anyone who thinks they are the victim of a scam should report it to the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
